--- title: "NASA Chooses First Astronauts to Ride SpaceX’s Dragon Spacecraft" description: "Nasa has chosen the first crew of astronauts to ride SpaceX's Dragon capsule into space. Stay up-to-date with SpaceX news at Futurism." date: "2019-06-05" modified: "2019-06-14" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-nasa-astronauts-crew-dragon" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "crew dragon" - "NASA" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # NASA Chooses First Astronauts to Ride SpaceX’s Dragon Spacecraft ![Private space agency SpaceX and NASA chose the lucky astronauts, who will be the first to ride SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule into space.]() *\Image: SpaceX/Victor Tangermann\* ## Dibs! SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule [exploded during a test last month](). But the Elon Musk spacetech company and NASA are going ahead with [choosing the lucky astronauts]() who will be the first to ride the spaceship into orbit at an unspecified date: Space Shuttle veterans Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will be blasting off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. “People to a degree think it’s pretty glamorous to be able to go into space, but it’s actually like a messy camping trip,” Hurley [told *Reuters*]() in a recent interview. ## The "Anomaly" When exactly Hurley and his crew will blast off into space is still uncertain. SpaceX's Demo-1 Crew Dragon spacecraft was [ripped to shreds]() during an engine test earlier this year, pushing back the launch that was initially slated for July indefinitely. NASA, however, is optimistic. Kathy Lueders, manager of the commercial crew program at NASA, [saw the "anomaly" as a "gift,"]() since SpaceX learned "a lot" from the mishap. ## Test Ride And then there's the fact that SpaceX already successfully [completed an uncrewed test ride]() of the Crew Dragon capsule to the International Space Station in March. Boeing is working on its own spacecraft that will carry American astronauts into space called the [Starliner](). An uncrewed test flight will likely take place after SpaceX's first crewed mission, according to *Reuters*. **READ MORE:** [NASA's first SpaceX astronauts ready for 'messy camping trip' to space]() \[*Reuters*\] **More on Crew Dragon:** *[NASA Commercial Crew Manager Calls SpaceX Explosion a "Gift"]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()